Head Over Heels for Tears for Fears’ “Big Chair” Box Set

Following 2013’s deluxe box set reissue of Tears for Fears’ The Hurting, Universal U.K. has announced the November 3 release of a similarly-impressive box set dedicated to the group’s 1985 album Songs from the Big Chair. This 4-CD/2-DVD box brings together a remastered edition of the original album and its single B-sides, two discs of rare period remixes and edited single versions, a DVD-Audio containing high-resolution stereo and 5.1 surround mixes courtesy of ace engineer Steven Wilson, and a DVD of promotional videos, BBC performances and a documentary film about the making of the album. The campaign will also feature a 2-CD distillation of the box set, a new vinyl reissue of the album, and a standalone Blu-ray Audio release with the high-resolution mixes.

In assessing the catalogue of the band led by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, our own Mike Duquette wrote, “The group’s first three LPs – 1983’s The Hurting, 1985’s Songs from the Big Chair and 1989’s The Seeds of Love – are not only engaging for their songs, but for their evolution as well. The Hurting was a dark, New Wave type album heavy on introspection and psychoanalysis. This gave way to Big Chair, [which] contextualized those themes on a bigger playing field, both lyrically (not just self against self, but self against others) and sonically (keyboards now mixed with heavier guitars and fresher drum sounds). The Seeds of Love would take that evolution even further (way more live instrumentation, more big-picture lyrics).” So, here is a lavishly expanded edition of Tears for Fears’ sophomore album of that early, triumphant trio. Mike continued to describe Songs as “the high watermark of not only Tears for Fears, but the mid-’80s as well. It spun off a good amount of singles, but it’s a thoroughly cohesive album both musically (the track “Broken” spins off both “Head Over Heels” and “Mothers Talk,” if you know what to listen to) and aesthetically. Rather than gaze inward as on The Hurting, TFF took the current climate of fear, [the] bad economy and nuclear paranoia and sung outward about it.”

Two previous reissues preceded this super deluxe iteration of Songs from the Big Chair. The 1999 remastered edition added seven bonus tracks including some Hurting-era leftovers. In 2006, it was expanded once again, this time with more B-sides and remixes but sans two of the tracks from the 1999 version. Neither of these versions was complete, however, leaving out key tracks such as the U.K. 12-inch mix of “Shout” and the remix “Everybody Wants to Run the World” created for Sport Aid in 1986. The upcoming box set promises to include every commercially issued B-side and remix from the era.

After the jump: a closer look at what you can expect on the new box set, including the complete track listing with discographical annotation and pre-order links!

The box set’s first CD contains both the remastered original album and its associated B-sides, sequenced in the running order of the original U.K. limited-edition cassette version. The second disc is dedicated to edited versions of the songs from the album, with the third featuring all of the remixes issued in conjunction with Songs. Both of these discs feature new-to-CD tracks, and the former even includes the audio debut of the video version of the American remix of “Mother’s Talk” and a promotional version of “Head Over Heels” that hasn’t been commercially issued before. The fourth disc in the set features 14 never-before-released performances culled from 1984 BBC radio sessions, the three tracks included on the Canadian promo-only Live At Massey Hall twelve-inch release, along with three more tracks from Massey Hall as well as early mixes of “Mothers Talk,” “The Way You Are,” “Broken” and “Shout,” and an early attempt at a 7-inch mix of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.”

Steven Wilson’s new 5.1 surround mix is the highlight of the DVD-Audio here, which also features a new 2014 stereo mix of the album. This DVD-A also includes DTS and Dolby layers for those not equipped for DVD-A playback. The final disc, a standard DVD-Video disc, includes the vintage Songs from the Big Chair documentary along with a 2005 interview with producer Chris Hughes, all of the promo videos from the LP, and eight BBC-TV performances from programs including Top of the Pops and Wogan.

This Tears for Fears treasure trove arrives in the U.K. on November 3 and one day later in the U.S.; it can be ordered at the links below!

Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others.
He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders.
Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray.
Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

I used to play this album back in the 80s. Love it back then when Sonny & Crockett were cool. A lot has happened since then and I’m afraid that this is a very bloated package for a relatively minor band. Save you money and buy the single disc (if you must).

I tend to agree with Mr. MacGoo above. Something that I never understood was the 7” edit. IF the song is noticeably a different mix that’s one thing. If it is just shorter why do you need it? One disk on here is essentially just that. The disk of what are basically demo versions, same thing. If the song is structured differently or has additional lyrics as a work in progress I understand having it. If they are just rough versions, well, if you have lots of money that you don’t need I suppose it’s something.

The rub with these things is the company is able to make a everything but the kitchen sink set like this and they also are able to release something with less on it. Either way they lose with the consumer. The kit like this people will say there’s a lot on here that even a fan doesn’t need. They release the lesser version and fans say where’s this mix or that mix!?!?!? Having bought a lot of 12” product in the 80’s and 90’s I can testify that a lot of the mixes made weren’t that good.

@ Chaz: the Aberdeenshire remix is in no way an official remix. It’s a fan-made remix and is rather recent.

@ regularjoe: I usually tend to agree regarding the usefullness of 7″ edits, especially here with 4 CDs, for a 8 songs album. But I was pleasantly surprised. Of course, I have little to no interest for the 3 different edits of “Shout”, but even if you only keep the album, the b-sides (even if according to me only “Sea Song” is worth it), the extended/remixed/early versions (some for the first time on CD), and the DVD, this boxset is well worth its price.

But if you’re not a fan of the band or the album, then I would rather stand with Mr MacGoo and advise you to buy the single disc version… You’ll fall in love with this album surely 🙂

As a collector item this box set does the job, perfectly. Whereas the box set for “The Hurting” had its flaws, you cannot critic the box set for “Songs from the Big Chair” for lacking anything.

thank you very much for the “Songs from the Big Chair” box set, it was wonderful !

For next Christmas I would really appreciate it if a “The Seeds of Love” boxset was released in 2015.

In it I’d like to find the 8 songs from the original album, plus:
– the single version of “Sowing the Seeds of Love”,
– the full version of “Sowing the Seeds of Love”,
– “Tears Roll Down”,
– the single version of “Woman in Chains”,
– the US only “full” instrumental (6:30) of “Woman in Chains”,
– “Always in the Past”,
– “My Life in the Suicide Ranks”,
– the single version of “Advice for the Young at Heart”,
– “Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams”,
– the instrumental of “Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams”,
– “Music for Tables”,
– the single version of “Famous Last Words”,
– the “Mix One” (aka “Unstable Mix”) of “Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams”,
– the “Mix Two” (aka “Shock Mix”) of “Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams”,
– “Laid So Low (Tears Roll Down)”,
– “The Body Wah”,
– “Lord of Karma”,
– “Ghost Papa”,
– “Ashes to Ashes”, if you see fit…

That’s only two CDs of material (2,5 hours), so feel free to add what you think would be great for a third (and a fourth?) CD.

Of course “Going to California” would be inevitable as a main program for the DVD, along all the promo videos and TotP cuts.

And, what about a bonus disc with:
– the single version (4:10) of “Pale Shelter”,
– the b-side version of “Ideas as Opiates”,
– “Saxophone as Opiates”,
it would be a great way to add it to the box set of “The Hurting” from 2013 as these tracks didn’t make it for different reasons (oversight, error, debatable decision)…

Thank you very much Dear Santa, for this year and the next, see you in December 😉

Hey megatof, this fits pretty well to my suggested tracklisting…except for the last five tracks. Paul Sinclair already said that they should go on an Elemental reissue because Curt had nothing to do with them. I would love a disc of outtakes and unused songs. Rumour has it that they threw away many songs they weren’t happy with. Considering their perfectionism, I’m sure there are some gems among these songs!
Oh, and you forgot the Canadian Single Version of “Year of the Knife” – it’s quite different from the album version! Listen to it here: http://www.memoriesfade.com/audio/rare.html

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